Cars stripped in minutes: ‘autocannibalism’ surges around Birmingham City stadium
"I arrived back at the car, the hood and the bumper had gone and the headlights had just been taken off."
Those are the words of one football fan who had driven to a game, only to find after the final whistle he had fallen victim to so-called car cannibalism.
It’s a crime LBC has previously looked into where criminals strip parked cars, some in a matter of minutes, before selling the parts on or fitting them to other vehicles at illegally-run garages, known as chop shops.
Now, a new investigation has uncovered a rise in vehicle crime around the home of Birmingham City FC, a club which has been making headlines of late following its record-breaking promotion to the Championship and the release of a new documentary focusing on its minority shareholder, NFL legend Tom Brady.
Car cannibalism is not a specific offense, but an FOI submitted to West Midlands Police by LBC has revealed on dates the club played at home during the first half of 2024, cases of some types of vehicle crime in the area surrounding Birmingham’s St Andrew’s stadium almost doubled compared with non-matchdays.
No suspects were identified in connection with any of the matchday offenses.
The supporter we’ve spoken to, who saw his car stripped during a midweek night game, was left around £1,600 out of pocket after his insurance company wrote the vehicle off while he was still paying for it on finance.
"It was a nightmare from then", he said.
"Life’s difficult enough as it is, we’re all just trying to get by, and something like this happens and makes everything ten times more difficult".
"It (car cannibalism) is something that’s on the up in and around the city, especially on matchdays. It’s very frustrating obviously that it happened to me, then it’s even more frustrating afterwards seeing it keep happening".
He now refuses to drive to matches.
Nick Gover, whose Essex-based company Auto Communications specializes in vehicle security, says it’s no surprise to hear criminals are targeting football supporters.
He said: "The thieves are pulling up, stripping the cars down, stealing the parts and away they go".
"As soon as the match kicks off, they know they’ve got at least an hour-and-a-half, two hours, before the driver of the vehicle comes back. When it only takes two or three minutes to strip a car down, they’ve got plenty of time. They could do multiple vehicles".
Mr. Gover also explains why it can be difficult for police to track down those responsible. "With a car theft, you’ll see a white Mercedes driving down the road and you know that’s what you’re looking for, but with these parts that are being stolen you’ve just got no idea where they’ve gone".
Speaking to LBC, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, acknowledged that car cannibalism is an "issue which has been of local concern" and a "complete pain" for victims.
In a written statement, the force said: "We are listening to concerns from fans, and we have carried out operations around the Birmingham City ground to tackle this problem, with regular patrols by officers in uniform and plain clothes."
"Over the last 18 months we’ve charged several people, including two who we believe are among the most prolific offenders in the area, and we will continue to gather intelligence to tackle this problem".
Anyone who witnesses car cannibalism or suspicious behavior around parked vehicles is urged to call 999 immediately.
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